Nipping at Groupon’s heels

LivingSocial, which expanded to San Jose and Marin County this week, is catching up to Groupon in the race to offer local daily deals, according to Internet research firm Experian Hitwise.

In December, Groupon hits outnumbered those to LivingSocial 10 to one.

But thanks to LivingSocial’s recent Amazon deal — $10 for a $20 gift certificate to Amazon — its reach is widening.

LivingSocial’s total U.S. visits increased 254 percent from December to January (the week of the Amazon deal), Experian Hitwise said. During the same time, Groupon’s total visits increased just 10 percent.

Groupon famously turned down Google’s reportedly $6 billion offer. Google is now looking to build its own local daily deals service.

LivingSocial, which was already in San Francisco and the East Bay, said the addition of its San Francisco Bay Area markets means it will be available in more than 170 and 10 countries, with more than 16 million subscribers worldwide.